Russia turns to Israel for advice on 2018 World Cup security matters

With just a few months left until the 2018 World Cup, Russia is preparing its security plans for the international event and consulting Israel about the matter. Yesterday, several senior Russian officials landed in Israel to discuss the topic of World Cup security with their Israeli counterparts.

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev met today with his Israeli counterpart, Meir Ben-Shabbat, in Jerusalem to discuss the topic of security at the 2018 soccer World Cup, the RIA news agency reported on Thursday, according to Reuters. The meeting took place at the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

Russia’s Security Council reportedly told RIA that the two spoke about security cooperation ahead of and during the soccer championship games. Russia will be hosting the World Cup games in 11 cities including Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Sochi between June 14 and July 15.

The Russian delegation, headed by Patrushev, landed in Israel on Wednesday. The delegation includes several deputy ministers and top military and intelligence officials.

Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. While in Russia, Netanyahu mentioned the Iranian threat that Israel faces as he spoke to reporters. “Will Iran establish itself in Syria or will this process be stopped? I made clear to Putin that we’ll stop it,” he said. “If it doesn’t stop on its own, we’ll stop it. In fact, we’re already taking action.”